


Til The Sun Comes Up

by why_didnt_i_get_any_soup



Series: New Girl fics [1]
Category: New Girl
Genre: Drinking, Drinking & Talking, F/M, Kissing, Post-Wedding, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-16
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-06-08 18:45:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6869038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/why_didnt_i_get_any_soup/pseuds/why_didnt_i_get_any_soup
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jess winds up on the roof after the wedding, hoping to catch the sunrise</p>
            </blockquote>





	Til The Sun Comes Up

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously, this will only not be "canon divergent" until the next season starts but this is how I imagine it going. I just noticed a severe lack of fic for this show, so here is my two cents.

It was close to five am and the sun would be coming up soon. Her room, and really the whole apartment, had been taken over by drunken partiers, including the bride and groom. Jess resolved to stay up and watch the sunrise instead, that that would make her feel happy and keep her from crying or whatever else it was that her body was trying to do. She didn't, however, expect to have any company up there on the roof. But up came Winston, a beer in his hand and a smile on his face. He was alone and Jess was honestly surprised Aly wasn't attached to his hip.

“What are you doing up here, Winston?” The question of “how did you pull yourself away from Aly?” remained unsaid but acknowledged by both parties.

“I'm relatively sober,” he said in an almost sing-songy tone, “and Cece asked me to check on you. I brought this beer as a peace offering.”

Jess laughed, just a little. “You don't have to make a peace offering, Winston. You’re always welcome on the roof when I'm up here sulking.” And she was sulking.

“Yeah, I know. I just wanted to bring you something.” He leaned against the brick next to Jess.

“You're sweet, Winston.” Jess tried very hard to hold back tears. And for the most part, it worked. Winston pulled her into a side hug and she sniffles just a little bit into his neck.

“We can talk if you need to.”

“Actually,” she pulled away, “I think I'm good for now. Just waiting on the sunrise for now.”

“That sounds really nice.” Winston smiled and headed back for the door. “You know where I am if you need me.”

Jess nodded and made a saluting gesture, then Winston was gone. She drank the beer and enjoyed the wind in her hair, looking out over the city, still all lit up. LA never slept. She expected to be alone until the sunrise but then the door opened again. She thought it would be Winston but it wasn't; it was Schmidt.

He looked so happy, completely wild and his collar unbuttoned. Jess had never seen him so...not immaculate. It was unusual but not unwelcomed. He was holding a beer as well.

“Cece sent you to check on me, too, huh?”

“Actually, Jessica, it may surprise you to know that I do actually care about you and despite my somewhat intoxicated state, I did notice your absence and also Nicholas’ sulkiness.”

Jess’ stomach dropped at the mention of Nick. That was really not what she needed right then.

“Schmidt, I…”

“Jess, I get it.” His voice was soft, much like it gets when he talked to or about Cece. “Matters of the heart are never easy. Me and Cece had quite the rough patch, when we first met but look where we are now.” He gestured widely, at the skyline, as though the whole city was feeling the effects of Schmidt and Cece’s wedding. And then he handed Jess the beer. She wasted no time in opening it and taking a swig. It had been less than a half an hour since Winston had wandered up so this beer would probably get her a little tipsy.

“This probably warrants you talking to Nick. Before he actually leaves, you know. You have an opportunity to change his mind. He's acting pretty weird so i’d say he's more than open to it.”

“I'm not even sure that's what I want.” Jess admitted.

Schmidt held up his hands. “I'm not telling you what to do, Jessica Day. Just telling you what I know about Nick Miller from over a decade of knowing him.”

“Thanks, Schmidt.”

“Of course.” He replied and kissed the side of her head, pulling her into a side hug. It was nice. Then he let her go and made his way back downstairs.

When the door opened a third time, Jess really wasn't sure who she expected. It could have been Nick, for all she knew. But a wave of relief washed over her when she saw Cece, emerge. She had changed out of her wedding dress and into a much more casual dress and comfortable shoes. She was holding two beers.

“You guys are trying to get me drunk!” Jess cried, feeling just a little tipsy from the two previous ones.

“One of these is for me, sweety.” Cece told her and then stuck her tongue out, handing one to Jess and opening her own.

“Cheers!” Jess said, tapping her can against Cece’s.

“Cheers.” Cece smiled warmly and put an arm around Jess’ shoulders, leaning in. “I'm so glad I'm here.” She said, staring out at the city. The sky was starting to get pretty light, now, but all the buildings were still twinkling on the horizon.

“What do you mean?”

Cece laughed. “I mean, I'm glad you moved into this stupid apartment with these stupid boys and I fell in love with one of them and this is where we got married. Not in a slaughterhouse or Schmidt’s estranged dad’s vineyard, but right here in our own home, with our best friends.”

“Me too, Cece. I couldn't be happier with how this turned out.” She paused for just a second. “The plans went completely bananas but I think it was for the best.” She added as an afterthought. Cece smiled brightly and got a distant look in her eyes.

“Yeah.” She said, sounding dreamy. “Jess, I'm so happy.”

“I know.” And Jess was so happy for her, trying to push down her own pain. The alcohol was absolutely helping numb it a bit. “Me too.” And she meant it as much as she could.

The two of them chatted for another half hour, giggling and reminiscing about people they dated in high school and never imagining ending up here, until they finished their beers. Cece took their two cans and the ones from earlier that Jess had left on the ground. She kissed Jess on the cheek and then left.

It was getting so light outside and Jess was so ready for the sun to start rising when the door to the roof banged open. Her stomach dropped when she saw him but she stayed quiet as he walked towards her.

“Lovely view you've got here.” He said awkwardly.

Jess just nodded, not looking over at him. He waited a few tense seconds before trying to talk again.

“Look, Jess,” she saw him scratch the back of his head out of the corner of her eye, “I wanted to apologize.”

“There's nothing to apologize for.” She snapped, a lot meaner than she had intended, and she finally looked over at him. She had just enough time to see the hurt in his eyes before he moved his eyes down to his shoes.

“Um…” He trailed off and then looked as if he had steeled himself for this conversation. He stared her right in the eyes and barreled on like he had prepared a speech; he probably had. “I'm sorry I'm so self-deprecating, okay? It's a defense mechanism I picked up a long time ago to try and explain away my inadequacies and excuse my insecurities. No one could hurt me if I hurt myself first. It took away their ammo. And it's just a habit that's stuck. Like something that people have just grown to accept as part of my personality, something that comes with the territory.” He looked as though he was going to stop there but maybe something on Jess’ face spurred him on. “But you're right. I maybe only just got a cellphone and have started managing a semi-successful bar, but even without those things I do have worth. I deserve better than how I let myself be treated. I really like Reagan but she had to be convinced of my worth. You saw it from the very beginning. And that's what I deserve.” He paused again, trying to gauge Jess’ reaction. “That is, if you’ll have me.”

Jess took just a second to reply, to make up her mind. “Of course I will!” She admitted and pulled him into a kiss, aware that the sun was rising and the light all around them was a warm golden color. It was kind of perfect timing. Unless you counted the fact that all of their roommates had trudged up the stairs to check on them and happened to catch them that way. They immediately began whooping and wolf-whistling at them so Nick and Jess sprang apart.

Jess hid her face in one hand and laughed while Nick just turned to face the sky, instead of the group standing there.

“We were going to go have celebratory breakfast. You guys in, or you want to try and fight guests for one of your rooms back?” Cece asked, smirking. Clearly, no one had slept in at least 24 hours.

“We’re in!” Nick and Jess called, simultaneously. They smirked at each other then, sheepishly, and clasped hands before following their gaggle of friends back down.


End file.
